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'Abbas to Continue to Wear Three Hats Until Elections Are Possible
Word that Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud ‘Abbas will step-down is premature. The Central Council of the Palestine Liberation Organization told the Reuters news agency that ‘Abbas will continue to serve as head of the P.A.; and as head of the PLO “until [the P.A.] is able to hold presidential and legislative elections." ‘Abbas also heads the Fatah faction. Formal action on the extension of ‘Abbas term will be made in December. Hamas has said it will continue to reject any decisions made by the PLO Central Council.
White House Slams Israeli Approval of New Housing in Jerusalem Neighborhood President Obama’s spokesman has conveyed “dismay” at news that 900 housing units have been approved for the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo – an area of 40,000 residents built on land that was under Jordanian control until the 1967 war. White House press secretary Robert Gibb told reporters that the housing plans coming “at a time when we are working to re-launch negotiations… make it more difficult for our efforts to succeed. Neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally pre-empt, or appear to pre-empt, negotiations.” Successive Israeli governments have been clear of their exclusion of Jerusalem from the status afforded to other land acquired in 1967. The Palestinians reject that view and are supported by the Obama administration and other western governments on the subject. In the U.K., the Brown government issued a statement saying, “the decision on Gilo is wrong and we oppose it.”
Swedish Foreign Minister Calls Palestinian State “Premature” Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose nation currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, has called Palestinian statehood “premature.” Following his remarks on Tuesday, Palestinian chief negotiator Sa’ib ‘Ariqat, speaking at an Amman news conference alongside French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, criticized Bildt and called for the international community to recognize a state. FM Carl Bildt was the latest western diplomat to suggest that the proper course for emerging statehood is through negotiations with Israel rather than through a unilateral declaration as has been recently suggested. What is emerging is considerable support for the idea of a Palestinian state, but specific reservations concerning its emergence. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, told reporters that the E.U.'s foreign ministers were discussing ways to coordinate with the United States to get Palestinians and Israelis back to peace talks. Javier Solana, who is head of EU foreign policy, said that creating a Palestinian state "has to be done with time and with calm and in an appropriate moment."
Netanyahu: “Israel is Iran’s First Target; Not Its Last” Addressing reporters aboard an Israeli missile boat at sea on the Mediterranean, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu used the dramatic background to send a message to the international community: “Israel is Iran’s first target,” he warned. “But not its last.” Netanyahu continued his admonitions against a nuclear Iran. He has been the west’s loudest voice on the subject for a decade, warning governments that while Iran professes to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, its intent is to create atomic weapons at the same time. The message of the day: “Israel is the most threatened country in the world.” Earlier in the day, Netanyahu spoke about Israel’s missile shield system at an aviation conference, where alluding to the U.N. Human Rights Council’s Goldstone report, he charged that Israel’s enemies “do not conceal their intentions, and…arm themselves accordingly. They first attack us physically, and then attack our right to self-defense.”
Sarkozy Lobbies in Saudi Arabia for Mediating Role Between Israel, Syria French President Nicolas Sarkozy used a visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to lobby for a first-hand role in brokering peace between Israel and Syria. In a newspaper interview, Sarkozy said he had told both Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Syrian President Al-Assad that France is prepared to “facilitate a restart of talks” between the two nations if they are so willing. Assad responded that any French role would be in support of Turkish efforts, which began during the previous Israeli administration but were halted when Netanyahu ascended to power. The French foreign minister is also working the Mideast beat. Following talks in Amman with Jordanian and Palestinian leaders, Bernard Kouchner lands in Israel on Wednesday.
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